Roman Ring Group, Minerva Bezel and Serpent Forms, 1st-3rd C. CE, Set of 3

Roman, Imperial period. A trio of cast finger rings sharing a vocabulary of snakes and seals. The largest, of leaded bronze, carries an ovoid bezel engraved with a standing female figure in a peplos, a shield set beside her, perhaps intended as Athena/Minerva. The mid-size example, a leaded brass hoop, is rendered as an abstract coiled snake whose body is punctuated with stamped concentric target motifs. The smallest, again leaded bronze, takes the open torque form, its two terminals finishing in stylized serpent heads that face one another across the gap. Serpents in Roman personal ornament carried apotropaic and regenerative weight, guarding health and household, while a gemless engraved bezel served the practical business of sealing wax and clay. Green and olive cuprous patination covers the surfaces throughout. The snake was among the most persistent motifs in Roman finger rings, worn by men and women alike from the late Republic well into the Imperial centuries. Its coiled body suited the form perfectly, allowing the hoop itself to become the image, and its associations ran deep: guardian of the household as the genius loci, attribute of Asklepios and Hygieia in matters of health, and emblem of renewal through the shedding of skin. Open, torque-form examples with opposed serpent-head terminals descend from Hellenistic Greek prototypes and remained in production across the Roman Mediterranean. Please note that these rings contain between 14 and 41% lead and are not recommended for wear. Item # 204802

Estimate:$225

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